Utah State Athletics inducts USU Hall of Fame class of 2026

Utah State University Athletics recently inducted three new members and two football teams into the Utah State Hall of Fame. Chari Hawkins, Reid Newey, Jennifer Schlott, and the 1960 and 1961 football teams were inducted at the ceremony on Sep 25.  

The event began with current USU athletics Hall of Fame members parading into the USU fight song, “Hail the Utah Aggies.” After a brief introduction, the 2026 inductees entered to “The Scotsman.” 

Jennifer Schlott, a USU Women’s Basketball player from 2011-2014, was introduced first. Schlott was named Mountain West Women’s Basketball Player of the Year as a senior in 2014, the same year she earned Associated Press Honorable Mention All-American honors for. She’s the only women’s basketball player in USU program history to receive either honor. Schlott still holds USU’s record in total points at 1,566 and free throws made at 401.  

“I was truly shocked, grateful and felt like it was such a special thing to be a part of,” said Schlott on being inducted into the Hall of Fame.  

Schlott also reminisced about what influenced her decision to play at Utah State.  

“When I came on my visit to USU, I loved the college town feel,” Schlott said. “I loved the outdoors and hiking and being in nature.”  

She also talked about her favorite parts of being a student-athlete.  

“Truly what I think of the most is just hanging out with my teammates and other student-athletes, all the fun times we had doing that,” Schlott said. 

The next inductees were the 1960 football team, represented by Roger Foulk. At the time, the team set the school record for wins at 9-2, tied for first in the Skyline Conference. They averaged 26.1 points per game and held opponents to just 6.5 points during the regular season. They still hold the school record for average rushing yards per game at 312. The team was ranked twice at No. 18 and No. 19, according to USU athletics. 

“Long time overdue and well deserved,” Foulk said on the team earning the award.  

Foulk attributed much of their success to the coaching staff.  

“We were really fortunate in that little era to have this new coach come in with his techniques and his personality, and with his assistant coach Tony Knap, who was a defensive specialist, managed to get a bunch of young men to become a notable force in the nation in sports and in football,” Foulk said.  

Similar was the 1961 football team, represented by Terry Cagaanan. They ranked first in the nation at an average of 38.7 points per game, which was a school record until 2018.  

Cagaanan honored those who had passed away before being able to accept the honor.  

“They were good people,” Cagaanan said. “They made me feel comfortable when I got to Logan. I’d never been in snow before.” 

The team finished the season ranked No.10 in the nation in both the Associated Press and UPI polls. Two Aggies were first-round picks in the NFL Draft, with at least seven from the team going on to careers in the NFL.  

Fourth to be introduced was Chari Hawkins, USU Track and Field athlete from 2010-2015, five-time All-American, 2024 Olympian and heptathlete. She earned 24 All-Conference honors across the Western Athletic Conference and the Mountain West Conference. She was a WAC champion, a MW champion, two-time MW Female Athlete of the Year and received the NCAA Student-Athlete Sportsmanship Award.  

She still holds school records in the 60-meter hurdles, indoor high jump, outdoor high jump, pentathlon and heptathlon. After her collegiate career, she represented Team USA in eight different national, world, and Olympic teams.  

“I love Utah State,” Hawkins said. “It’s where I started my journey as a heptathlete, and so to be inducted in the Hall of Fame — it’s such an honor.” 

Hawkins talked about how her failures led her to where she is now.  

“There were so many times in my career that I had done such a good job, and then I had kind of ultimately faltered,” Hawkins said. “The thing that’s really cool about taking in those experiences not as failures but as learning experiences is you get a little bit better every single time.” 

She also talked about how Utah State gave her the foundation to stand on for the rest of her career.  

“My time at Utah State was so special,” Hawkins said. “The people that are some of the most important people in my life are people I met here, and the culture helped raise me into who I am today.” 

The final inductee was Reid Newey, a Men’s Basketball player in 1984 and 1987-1989. He is the 13th highest scorer in program history, ranking fourth in school history in three-point field goals made at 237.  

“I was overwhelmed with gratitude, really, and just thankful,” Newey said on being inducted.  

Utah State University President Brad L. Mortensen closed the meeting by talking about the changes in athletics over time.  

“It’s no secret that college athletics have changed, even since Chari was competing,” Mortensen said, “but these are the values and type of people that we want to see from our athletics programs.”